Cable Nets Face Restraining Order

A bunch of cable networks could be hit with restraining orders if the Federal Trade Commission has its way.

The order would involve two TV infomercials for dietary supplements Supreme Greens and Coral Calcium Daily, which the FTC charges have made false claims that their products can prevent or cure cancer and other maladies as well as "cause significant weight loss.

The ads have been running on a bunch of cable nets, including Women’s Entertainment and the Food Network, as well as PAX TV, according to the FTC.

The company initially pulled the ads, but has put them back on "when it needed more money," according to an FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection staffer.

The Commission is going to court in Boston June 7 to get a restraining order against airing of the TV ads. If it is successful, it plans to serve the cable nets that have aired the ads in the past.

The staffer said the FTC wants to see more proactive screening from cable, saying broadcasters have more stringent standards and have made greater improvements since the FTC began working with the media to "red flag" facially false claims for diet and other health products.